Ikea Denver about to get off the ground in style

As every hipster twenty-something in Denver knows, our fair city has been sadly inferior to other mid- to large-sized cities over the years in at least one key area: We lack an IKEA. The Swedish impresario corporation of ready-to-assemble furniture that is both stylish and cheap, IKEA is a destination store for anyone with a decorative eye who's a little too poor to to afford the good stuff but a little too well off for that Goodwill couch with the cigarette burns in it. But the long wait will soon be over: An IKEA is coming to Colorado, and it's apparently coming with continental flair to spare.

The store, which will occupy a 415,000-square-foot warehouse in Centennial on a 13.5-acre plot of land, is set to open in the fall, but the process of preparing the space for the world's foremost retailer of better-looking-than-shitty furniture is ramping up tomorrow with -- what else? -- helicopters. From 7 to 9 a.m., weather depending, a large helicopter will airlift the stores 25 giant air conditioners to the top of the warehouse. We're guessing it's going to look something like this:

Except for instead of dropping Ernst Blofeld at the end there, it will be an air-conditioning unit.

The site is located on the west side of I-25 near Park Meadows and is accessible from either Dry Creek Road or County Line Road. Oh, and IKEA -- may we request that you have a pleasant...fright?

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